Cervical cancer occurs in the cervix cells and is the fourth most common type of cancer in women. It is important for one to understand the risk factors for cervical cancer.

Here are 11 risk factors that every woman should be aware of;

• HPV
  Human papillomavirus or HPV is an STI that causes most types of cervical cancer. Generally, when the body is exposed to HPV, the immune system ensures it doesn’t cause any damage. Hence, the HPV goes away by itself. When the virus ends up staying for longer, often years, then it can lead to cervical cancer.
• Family history of cervical cancer
  If someone in the family has cervical cancer, then the chances of one having it are three times more compared to someone who doesn’t have a family history of cervical cancer. This is particularly true if their sister or mother had cervical cancer at some point.
• Weak immune system
  A weak immune system is one of the risk factors for cervical cancer. The immune system can be weak due to many reasons such as various health conditions and diseases. And when the immune system is weak then it increases the risk of getting cervical cancer.
• Oral contraceptives
  If one takes oral contraceptives for five years or more, it increases their risk of cervical cancer. This is true for oral contraceptives that contain synthetic types of progesterone and estrogen. When one stops taking these types of oral contraceptives, then the risk of cervical cancer decreases and gets to normal after 10 years.
• Giving birth to three children or more
  If one has given birth to three children or more, then they are at a higher risk of cervical cancer. Doctors have not understood why this is the case but some suspect it might be because pregnant women have weak immune systems that enable the growth of HPV.
• Foods
  One of the risk factors for cervical cancer is insufficient nutrients in the diet. If one does not consume sufficient vegetables and fruits regularly, then they are at a higher risk of cervical cancer. Foods that weaken the immune system can increase the risk of this condition.
• Smoking
  Women who smoke are two times more likely than non-smoking women to develop cervical cancer. This is due to the damage caused by smoking to the cervix cells or DNA. Smoking weakens the immune system and so this can allow HPV infection to occur.
• Exposure to DES
  If one’s mother took the miscarriage prevention medication known as DES or diethylstilbestrol, then they are at a higher risk of developing some type of cervical cancer. This risk is higher if their mother took the medication during the initial 16 weeks of their pregnancy.
• Pregnant before 17
  Getting pregnant before 17 years of age is one of the risk factors for cervical cancer. Women who are younger than 17 when they first give birth are two times more likely to develop cervical cancer at some point.
• Multiple sexual partners
  Women who have multiple sexual partners are at a higher risk of cervical cancer. This is particularly true if those partners have multiple sexual partners too. This is because the chance of HPV increases which can lead to cervical cancer.
• Having other sexually transmitted infections
  HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea are STIs that can increase the risk of cervical cancer. This is because these infections cause the immune system to weaken which leads to the immune system’s inability to fight off infections such as HPV.